Washington:
A newly developed 3D-printed heart has helped doctors perform a life-saving heart surgery on a 14-month old infant in the US.
Researchers from the University of Louisville and Kosair Children's Hospital created a 3D printed model of the organ 1.5 times its actual size that helped the surgeons to prepare for the surgery.
Built in three pieces using a flexible filament, the printing reportedly took around 20 hours and cost $600.
Roland Lian Cung Bawi of Owensboro, Kentucky, was born with four congenital heart defects and his doctors were looking for greater insights into his condition prior to a February 10 operation.
Philip Dydynski, chief of radiology at Kosair Children's Hospital wondered if a 3D model of the child's heart could be constructed using a template created by images from a CT scan to allow doctors to better plan and prepare for his surgery.
The result was a model heart 1.5 times the size of the child's.
Once the model was built, Erle Austin III, cardiothoracic surgeon at Louisville, was able to develop a surgical plan and complete the heart repair with only one operation.
"I found the model to be a game changer in planning to do surgery on a complex congenital heart defect," he said.
Roland was released from Kosair Children's Hospital on February 14. His prognosis is good, doctors said.